This invention relates to an improved keyboard for text entry into a computer and to a program for a computer that enables a person to enter words (text) either by standard letter-by-letter keying (typing) or by steno-keystroking (stenotyping).
It is well known that trained court stenographers attain speeds of more than 200 words per minute using a stenotype machine. This machine has recently been modified to store the keystrokes on magnetic tape rather than on paper so that the steno can be translated to English by a suitably programmed computer. A further modification whereby the steno keystrokes are stored directly in the computer memory has permitted the immediate translation of these keystrokes into English words. However, a drawback of this system (often referred to as Computer-Assisted Transcription or CAT) is that it requires a very well trained stenotypist.